Akron schools using metal detectors

The school bell sounded marking the final class of the day at Ellet High School in east Akron.

Students scattered from the hallways and filed into their classrooms.

Shortly after a group of sophomores took their seats, two Akron Public Schools Safety Team members appeared in the doorway. This class was about to be tested, and it wasn't a traditional exam with pencil and paper.

The students had been randomly selected to be searched and checked with metal detectors for potential weapons or other items not allowed in school.

The group shuffled into the gymnasium and one of the safety team members instructed them to stand along a solid black line that outlined the basketball court. Four assistant principals donned latex gloves and stood on one side of a table as students handed over their school bags.

One-by-one, the students walked through a portable metal detector that had been set up a few minutes before the random check.

It beeped as one student walked through, and one of the safety members further investigated with a hand-held wand. A zipper on the student's shoes had caused the alarm, and the student fell back into line and waited for his bag to be released.

Scenes like that have played out in Akron Public Schools since the late 1990s when the district first began using metal detectors in each of its high schools and middle schools. And it's a scene that could become commonplace in Stark County schools if educators, law enforcement officials and community members agree that the devices will help guarantee student safety by keeping guns and other weapons out of schools.

Since a Jackson Middle School student, who police say had plans to harm other students, shot himself Feb. 20 in a school bathroom and died the next day, concern has grown and security has been heightened in schools across the county.

A wave of student arrests for threats posted or shared on social media and a "zero tolerance" stance for such action by school and law officials has sparked more conversation about how to protect those inside school buildings.

Safety and security

In Stark County, a Safety and Security Task Force, a 10-member committee comprised of superintendents and law enforcement officers, is considering all options for school security, Sheriff George Maier, a member of the group, said this week. Metal detecting wands, rather than a unit, may be a more viable solution short-term, he said.

Jackson Local Schools Superintendent Chris DiLoreto also said this week that metal detectors and door barriers are being considered by his district.

The Akron Public School District is among a handful of Ohio school districts already using metal detectors. Director of Student Services Dan Rambler said the number of units in each building depends on the number of students. Each middle school typically has three handheld metal detectors and each high school has five. Additionally, each building has at least one portable metal detecting unit.

Mark Williamson, director of marketing and communications, said two guns have been confiscated in the last four years. However, these weapons were not found using the metal detectors.

Students are checked at random times — not always at the beginning of the school day. The only buildings using the metal detectors daily are the alternative buildings, Williamson said.

Most of the schools are not using permanent metal detectors because, Williamson said, it isn't practical. Ellet High School, for example, has more than 1,000 students in one building. Williamson said it would cause an issue with getting students into the building and to class on time.

Assistant Principal Eleanor Campbell said the metal detectors are used at least twice a month. However, if there is a threat or rumor of someone bringing a weapon to school, they may be used more often.

"Ultimately, this is a person's home away from home, so we want to make sure everyone is in a safe environment," she said.

Listen, report

Rambler recalls a time when a student had a gun hidden inside their waistband about four years ago.

Another student had heard a rumor that a student was planning to bring a gun to school and told school authorities, leading law enforcement officers to the source. Rambler stressed the importance of having more than one plan of action to prevent guns and other weapons from entering a school.

Building relationships with students is a key part of making sure the schools are secure, Rambler said. In this case, the student with the gun trusted the school resource officer, and the officer was able to confiscate the gun without further incident.

"Those will always, in my opinion, be far better than any mechanical item because people want each other to be safe," he said. "(Metal detectors) are good as a deterrent. The best tool that we have is really the people."

The gun was found during lunch hour at the high school, Rambler said. Had a student not spoke up, the result could have been horrific.

"Metal detection is really hard," Rambler said. "You can't have that be your sole tool that you're using. It's not just having metal detectors that you're using, but also having a really good climate of people working together to keep each other safe."

Bringing metal detectors into schools

Emily Ribnik, a clinical mental health counselor and ALICE instructor at Kent State University at Stark, said any school that is considering bringing metal detectors into the district should include parents and students throughout the process and address any questions or concerns they may have.

Ribnik said metal detectors are a change that students and their parents would need to adjust to. Allowing them to be a part of the decision-making process can make for a smoother transition.

School districts should also be mindful that metal detectors alone will not solve the problem, Ribnik said. Other things to consider are resources available for students who may be facing mental health issues and having conversations with children about mental health.

"It's human nature to point at one thing," she said. "Metal detectors aren't perfect, but they can be a deterrent. We don't want to get too focused on one thing that there's no light getting shed on another."

Brennon Wilson, director of business development and senior account manager at Digital Operations Group, is working to inform the community and local school districts about the cost of metal detectors and what brands would be most effective.

Digital Operations Group is a small business in Jackson Township that provides a variety of services including voice, data, video and safety and security.

Wilson said the company planned to add metal detector installation to its list of services as a part of safety and security. After the incident at Jackson, the company jump-started the idea.

Parents express concern

Crystal Poirrier has two children in Massillon City Schools. She created a petition the day of the Jackson shooting, asking the community to come together and figure out a way to ensure all children are return home safely at the end of the school day. Her hope is to get metal detectors into all Stark County Schools.

Poirrier shared the petition on social media through Change.org and collected more than 2,000 signatures within the first 24 hours. A week later, the support has grown to more than 4,500.

"The safety of our children should be our No. 1 priority," Poirrier said. "It just makes you feel good to know our communities are willing to pull together to make a change, make a difference for our children."

Dave McAlicker, a resident of Massillon, got behind the idea of bringing metal detectors into the Massillon district after his daughter, a senior at Washington High, saw a threat posted on Sarahah, an anonymous feedback app.

McAlicker said he would like to see the community rally behind the idea and raise funds to purchase metal detectors for each of the buildings within the district. Ideally, there would be six metal detectors at the high school, three at the middle school and one in each elementary school, he said.

"At that point, it's a little too close to home," McAlicker said. "Let's raise the money and show our children we care."

Samantha Ickes is a reporter at The Independent in Massillon.

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